
HOOFBEATS 

A PICTURE BOOK 

OF HORSES 


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HOOFBEATS 











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How a Horse Runs 

















































HOOFBEATS 

A Picture Book of Horses 



By JAMES L. CANNON 

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JUNIOR PRESS BOOKS 

ALB E RT$WH ITMAN 

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Copyright 1938 by Albert Whitman & Company 
Lithographed in the U. S. A. 

©Cl A 11 9351 


JUL 1 3 










PAGE 


The Thoroughbred . 7 

The Circus Horse . 10 

The Polo Pony . 13 

The Indian Pony .16 

The Draft Horse . 19 

The Standard Bred . 24 

The American Saddle Horse . 28 

The Shetland Pony . 3° 

The Hunter . 3 1 

The Hackney . 34 

The Police Horse .• • • 37 

The Western Cow Pony . 4 1 

The Arabian . 44 

The Palomino . 45 

The Morgan . 46 



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The Thoroughbred 
































THE THOROUGHBRED 


M ORE than two hundred years ago, three fine 
horses, to which all modern Thoroughbreds 
trace their ancestry, were imported into England. 
These were the Byerly Turk, imported in 1689, the 
Darley Arabian, in 1706, and the Godolphin Barb, 
about 1724. The Thoroughbred is one of the oldest of 
the improved breeds of horses known today, and is used 
for racing on turf and track. 

The fame of the English Thoroughbred spread. 
About the time of George Washington, the people in 
this country sent to England for several of these Thor¬ 
oughbreds so they could raise fine race horses of their 
own. The first on record to come to America was Bulle 
Rock, a son of the Darley Arabian. He was brought 
over to Virginia in 1730, and many more English Thor¬ 
oughbreds followed later. 

Man o’ War (1917) was one of the greatest of Ameri¬ 
can race horses. Known affectionately as “Big Red”, 
he raced in 1919 and 1920, and later was retired to a 


life of ease in the bluegrass of old Kentucky. Crusader, 
Battleship, and War Admiral are some of his famous 
sons, while Seabiscuit, the 1937 handicap champion, 
is his grandson. 

Impatient of common work, and apt to be nervous 
and excitable, due in part to his strenuous training, 
the Thoroughbred has unusual speed, endurance, and 
courage of a high degree. 

He is extremely refined in appearance. He has a 
slender, graceful body built for speed. His head and 
ears are small and well formed, his neck is long, slen¬ 
der, and muscular, and his legs are strong and clean- 
cut. He has a well developed chest and shoulders, and 
his quarters are strongly muscled and full of driving 
power. The Thoroughbred weighs about 1100 pounds, 
and averages between 15.2 and 16 hands in height. 
The hand used in measuring horses equals four 
inches. 

The race horse is black, brown, bay, chestnut, or 
grey. He has no lines, stripes, or large spots. The 
markings, if any, usually are white stockings and a 
blaze or star of white on the face. 

The men and boys who ride these Thoroughbred 
race horses are called jockeys. Theirs is a task that 
calls for the utmost in daring, courage, and fine horse- 


manship. It is a thrilling experience to be perched 
up on a tiny saddle, with the horse running at a speed 
of nearly forty miles an hour. 

The term “Thoroughbred” is often misused for 
purebred. Thoroughbred relates only to this specific 
breed of running horses, while purebred refers to any 
horse with pure blood lines. When someone speaks of 
a “thoroughbred” Arabian for example, what he 
should say is a purebred Arabian. 









THE CIRCUS HORSE 


T HE ring-horse used by the bareback riders is one 
of the most important horses in the circus. He is 
called a “rosinback” because of the powdered resin 
put on his back to keep the rider from slipping. 
Most ring-horses are white, cream, or dappled grey so 
that the resin will not show and because they are 
flashier in appearance than a dark-colored horse. 

The “rosinback” is short-legged, broad-backed, and 
broad-hipped. He must be very calm and trustworthy, 
and is trained to pay no attention to things that would 
frighten and cause an ordinary horse to shy. This 
horse must continue his steady, springy motion 
around the ring, no matter what happens, until the 
music stops. If he were to make a mistake or go too 
fast or too slowly, the rider might fall and be hurt. 

Circus people are always on the lookout for good 
“rosinbacks.” These ring-horses are of no special breed 
and are often picked up in strange places. One of the 
best was called Colonel S. who was found while pull- 


10 


























ing a vegetable wagon. Colonel S. was a large, short¬ 
legged, white horse with a kindly disposition. After a 
long, careful training he became one of the most fa¬ 
mous ring-horses in circus history. 

Among the other horses in the circus are the power¬ 
ful draft animals that pull the heavy wagons to and 
from the railroad cars, the trick horses, the Wild West 
horses, the jumpers, and those that take part in the 
hippodrome races. 



12 


THE POLO PONY 


HE polo pony plays a very important part in the 



X game of polo. This game, in its various forms, is 
more than 2000 years old. It originated in Persia and 
spread to Turkey and China, and was common in India 
in the 16th century. In England, polo was first played 
in 1869, and it was introduced to this country in 1876. 

Polo has always been a game of skill. It has become 
a game of speed as well. At first most any kind of 
pony was used to follow the ball around. As the game 
developed, however, polo players found that they 
needed mounts of greater speed and stamina. 

Up until 1915, the height of these ponies was lim¬ 
ited to 14.2 hands. This meant that they actually were 
ponies, as 14.2 hands is the height which distinguishes 
a pony from a horse. At present no limit is placed on the 
size of the horses used in the game. The average polo 
mount of today stands 15.1 hands and weighs about 
1000 pounds, so he is really a small horse and not a pony. 

To be good polo mounts, these horses should be per¬ 
fectly trained. They must be easily handled, must 
obey instantly the will of the rider, who controls the 
horse with his legs, his weight, and with the reins. Polo 


mounts are usually five or six years old when they be¬ 
gin to play in important matches. There are many 
examples of ponies playing polo until they are fifteen 
and sixteen years of age. 

Besides being easy to handle, the polo mount is very 
fast. He must possess the racing speed of the Thor¬ 
oughbred. Of two teams with players of equal ability, 
the side with the faster horses has a great advantage. 

For this reason, most polo mounts are Thorough¬ 
bred in type, although not usually purebred Thorough¬ 
breds. After all, it is performance that counts most in 
a polo pony, not royal blood or high price. The Mal¬ 
tese Cat, a polo pony in the story by Rudyard Kipling, 
is an example of what a good polo mount should be. 

Endurance and ruggedness are also required of 
horses that play polo, because the wear and tear on 
the mounts is great. There are quick starts and stops, 
abrupt turns, collisions with other horses, and long 
runs the length of the field. 

Players change to fresh ponies at the end of each 
period in a game. With four players on a side, and a 
mounted umpire or two as well, quite a few mounts 
are used during the course of a match, because in a 
game there are six or more periods, called chukkers, 
lasting seven and one-half minutes each. A well 
mounted polo player needs at least five or six ponies; 
some players have a great many more. 


14 



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The Polo Pony 




















THE INDIAN PONY 


T HE Indian pony of the western plains and moun¬ 
tains was descended from the horses brought to 
North America by the Spaniards. In 1519, Cortez 
led the first expedition in the Spanish conquest of 
Mexico. He had with him sixteen fine horses, among 
which were two of the famed Jennet breed of Spain. 
Many more were landed by later adventurous Span¬ 
iards. 

One of these Spanish explorers, Ferdinand de Soto, 
took a number of horses to Florida with him in 1539. 
Some of these horses were later abandoned west of the 
Mississippi River. These, together with the ones landed 
in Mexico, were the ancestors of the bands of wild 
horses that roamed the plains and mountains of the 
west and became known as Mustangs. 

Before the coming of the Mustangs the Indian tribes 
traveled and hunted on foot. At first they were afraid 
of the strange animals, but later caught and tamed 
these wild horses and used them for mounts. Thus the 



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The Indian Pony 




















Indian’s manner of living was greatly changed. He 
hunted the great herds of bison and he fought the 
white man on horseback. 

The Indian pony, or Mustang, was a small horse be¬ 
cause of his hard life and dependence on grass for 
food. To grow large and strong, a horse must have 
hay, oats, bran, and other foods besides grass, and he 
should be protected from the weather. In spite of this 
hard life, however, there were many very fine speci¬ 
mens to be found among the wild horses. 

The Mustang usually resembled his Spanish ances¬ 
tors, being black, bay, chestnut, dun, or gray. There is 
also the pinto type of Mustang, which is white with 
large spots of colored hair, or just the reverse. 

Because of having to look out for himself, to find 
food and shelter, the Indian pony was very intelligent. 
He was extremely hardy, with great endurance for use 
in the plains and mountains of the West. He was sure¬ 
footed, and well able to defend himself from the at¬ 
tacks of the horse’s most dangerous enemy, the moun¬ 
tain lion. 



18 








THE DRAFT HORSE 


S IZE and power, not speed, are required of draft 
horses. For centuries they have been the workers, 
tilling the soil and pulling heavy loads. The early 
horses of this type were probably not as large and 
powerful as those of today. Nevertheless they were 
strong, heavy animals. 

In the olden days, these drafters played an impor¬ 
tant part in warfare. After mail and chain armor had 
been used for a long time, heavy plate armor for both 
man and beast became popular, and mounts of great 
size and strength were needed to carry the fighting 
men into battle. The total weight of knight and armor 
was often three hundred pounds and more, so no light, 
fancy-stepping charger would do. It was then that the 
draft horse was in his glory; he was the important and 
aristocratic horse of the day. 

With the later change in military tactics, which 
called for long marches and rapid movement of armies, 


19 



most of the heavy armor disappeared. A lighter, speed¬ 
ier horse became necessary, and back to the farms went 
the sturdy drafters. 

The modern draft horse breeds are the Shire, Bel¬ 
gian, Percheron, Clydesdale, and Suffolk. These are 
all foreign in origin, but they have been imported and 
today are raised in this country as well. 

The Shire, an English breed, is in general the larg¬ 
est of the draft horses. He often stands 17 hands in 
height and weighs 2000 pounds or more. He has a 
wide, deep body and heavy legs with much long hair 
below the knees and hocks. This is called the feather, 
and on this breed it is usually white. The Shire is 
bay, brown, or black in color and is a great horse of 
tremendous power. 

The Belgian ranks next to the Shire in size. He is 
usually sorrel, or light chestnut, in color. The Belgian 
was first imported to this country in 1866 and is sec- 


20 





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ond in numbers to the Percheron today. With a beau¬ 
tiful head and neck, a short, compact body, and short 
well-muscled legs, the Belgian is a draft horse of great 
strength and pulling power. 

The Percheron is usually not as large as the Shire 
or the Belgian, but is heavier than the Clydesdale. He 
is French in origin, and is the most popular of the 
draft horse breeds in this country. Most Percherons 
are black or dappled grey. They show more refine¬ 
ment in head and neck than the other breeds in spite 
of weighing a ton or more. The head is of medium 
size, the neck well crested, the back short, and the legs 
are without the long hair or feather found on the Shire 
and the Clydesdale. 

From Scotland comes the Clydesdale. Although he 
lacks the great weight of the Shire, Belgian, and Perch¬ 
eron, he is just right for medium draft work at the 
walk and trot. This breed has a moderate amount of 
feather on the backs of the lower legs, but not as much 
as the Shire. He stands about 16.3 hands and weighs 
on the average 1800 pounds. The Clydesdale is black, 
bay, brown, or chestnut in color, and usually has white 
markings on the face and lower legs. 

The Suffolk, a native of England, is usually smaller 


22 


than the other breeds and is almost always chestnut 
in color. He stands from 15 to 16 hands in height and 
weighs up to 2000 pounds, which makes his body ap¬ 
pear too heavy for the legs. For this reason, he is re¬ 
ferred to as the Suffolk Punch. 

These draft horse breeds are known as the “heavy” 
horses, while the other breeds are called the “light” 
horses. 



23 


THE STANDARD BRED 


^ Chester, New York, stands a monument to the 



memory of Hambletonian X, who lived from 
1849 t0 1876, and to whom most of the Stand¬ 
ard Breds of today trace their ancestry. The great¬ 
est race for trotters, the Hambletonian, first run in 
1926, is named in honor of this great horse. To har¬ 
ness racing he gave sons and daughters who were 
known as the fastest and sturdiest of trotters. 

The Standard Bred, or trotting horse family, is an 
American breed. The original founder was Messenger, 
a Thoroughbred imported from England in 1788. 
Hambletonian X was descended from him, as well as 
from Bellfounder, who was also imported from 
England. 

In those days, horses of this breed that were not fast 
enough for racing were put to work pulling buggies 
and light wagons, but the coming of the motor car put 
an end to that. 

Modern Standard Breds are raised for harness rac- 


24 



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ing, and the horses of this breed are either trotters or 
pacers. The difference between trotting and pacing is 
this: In the trot, the diagonal pairs of legs move to¬ 
gether. In other words, the left rear leg and the right 
fore leg move together; then the right rear and the 
left fore together. The pacer moves the two legs on 
the same side together; then the two legs on the other 
side. 

Thus both the trotter and the pacer always land on 
two legs. In contrast to this is the Thoroughbred race 
horse, or runner, whose weight at various positions in 
the run is supported by one leg only. The pace is 
faster than the trot, while the run or extended gallop 
is the fastest of all. 

The greatest trotter today is Greyhound. Famous 
Standard Breds of former years were Flora Temple, 
Goldsmith Maid, Lou Dillon, and Peter Manning, 
while Peter Volo is the greatest living sire of this breed 
today. 

Standard Breds are about the same size as Thor¬ 
oughbreds, but are heavier in proportion to their 
height. They are bred for stamina and endurance as 
well as speed. The races for these trotters and pacers 
are divided into three heats; that is, the horse winning 
two out of three times is the winner of the race. It takes 


26 


a horse of endurance to trot two or three one-mile heats 
in a single afternoon. 

At first these trotters were raced under the saddle. 
A short time later the light racing wagon was devel¬ 
oped. Flora Temple was pulling one of these specially 
built four-wheeled racing wagons when she set a trot¬ 
ting record in 1859. Then the sulky with two large 
wheels came into favor, and finally, the modern, light¬ 
weight, bicycle sulky was developed. 

The sport of harness racing has been growing in 
importance since the first Standard Bred trotters and 
pacers were developed, and today is enjoying great 
popularity. 



27 



THE AMERICAN SADDLE HORSE 


LL breeds of horses are able to walk, trot and can¬ 



ter, but the American Saddle Horse has other 


gaits as well. This breed appears principally at 
horse shows, either in the three-gaited or in the five- 
gaited classes. Usually referred to as a “walk, trot” 
horse, the three-gaited saddle horse moves at the walk, 
trot, or canter. The five-gaited horse has as his spe¬ 
cialties the walk, the slow gait, the trot, the canter, 
and the rack. The slow gaits are the running walk, the 
fox trot, and the single-foot. In the show ring, these sad¬ 
dle horses are further classified according to height. 

This distinct American breed originated in Ken¬ 
tucky. The founder of the line was Denmark, a Thor¬ 
oughbred foaled in 1839. His son, Game’s Denmark, 
was the greatest saddle horse stallion, while later fa¬ 
mous ones were Bourbon King and Rex Peavine. The 
development of the American Saddle Horse breed was 
due to the mixture of Thoroughbred blood with that 
of the best of the pacing, ambling mares of the day. 

The American saddle-bred is a born show horse. 
With fine lines, unusual action, and an airy carriage, 
he is an easily recognized type. The three-gaited sad¬ 
dle horse appears in the show ring with the mane 


28 


















































trimmed short and the tail plucked, while the five- 
gaited has a long mane and a full, luxurious tail. 

These horses have small heads set on gracefully 
arched necks, short backs, clean, shapely legs, and tails 
held in an elevated position. They vary from 14.2 to 
16 hands in height and in color resemble the Thor¬ 
oughbred. White stockings and white markings on the 
face help to give them an attractive appearance in the 
show ring. 

THE SHETLAND PONY 

The Shetland pony originally came from the Shet¬ 
land Islands off the north coast of Scotland, and 
was used as a miniature draft horse. He worked 
in the mines, and carried large loads of peat for his 
master. His small size, usually about 40 inches in 
height, was due in part to the hard life on the islands, 
lack of shelter, and scarcity of food. Those bred in this 
country have a tendency to be larger than the island- 
bred ponies. 

The Shetland, however, is still a very small pony. 
He is of the blocky, draft horse type, having a wide 
body, short back, and short legs with heavy bone. The 
Shetland is usually dull-black, bay, or brown, while 
the pintos, or ponies with coats of dark hair marked 
with large spots of white, are very popular. The Shet¬ 
land has a full mane and tail, and has a long, shaggy 
coat of hair in the winter. 


30 


THE HUNTER 


T HE Hunter is a type of horse rather than a dis¬ 
tinct breed. He may be all Thoroughbred or only 
part Thoroughbred. This horse is used in fox hunt¬ 
ing, for general riding across country, and for hunt 
racing. He also appears at the horse shows. 

Ireland is an important source of this type, the Irish 
Hunter being noted for his high quality. He is a big, 
powerful, rangy animal with much speed and jumping 
ability. 

To be a good hunter, a horse must be reliable and 
sure-footed. He should be able to carry his rider safely 
over fences, stone walls, streams, and almost any other 
obstacle met with in a run across country. Some of 
the fences are four and five feet in height, and it is a 
great thrill to be up on a hunter that can take them in 
his stride and not have to go around the long way. 

This type of horse must be reasonably fast, should 
have endurance, or staying power, and should be well- 
mannered, especially with the hounds used in fox 
hunting. 

When the Hunter makes his appearance at the 
horse show, he is classed either as a green or as a qual¬ 
ified hunter, depending on the experience he has had. 
Then the Hunters are also classed as lightweights and 

























as heavyweights. The lightweights are horses capable 
of carrying a rider weighing 160 pounds across coun¬ 
try, while one which is able to carry 200 pounds is 
termed a heavyweight. 

The average sized horse of this type stands from 
15.2 to 16 hands and weighs around 1200 pounds. He 
is of powerful build and should have sloping shoulders 
with low points, as should all good riding horses. A 
characteristic of Hunters is that usually the hair on 
their legs is not clipped. This is to give protection 
against thickets and underbrush in a run across coun¬ 
try. Another reason is that as a horse does not sweat 
through the skin of his legs, there is no need to clip the 
hair. 

When a horse comes over a jump he does not land 
on both front feet, but on either one or the other. If 
the right fore foot touches first, it is followed by the 
left fore foot, then the right hind foot, followed by the 
left hind foot. 

Horses can jump high and far, the high jump rec¬ 
ord being 8 ft. $/i inches, while the longest jump on 
record is 39 ft. 

At a horse show the difference between a Hunter 
and a horse that is strictly a jumper is this: The 
Hunter is judged both on his conformation, or physical 
build, and on his manner of jumping and of going be¬ 
tween jumps, while the jumper is judged only on his 
ability to clear the obstacles. 


33 


THE HACKNEY 


T HE Hackney is the outstanding breed of fine har¬ 
ness horse. Before the automobile came into such 
general use he was in great favor as a carriage horse, 
but today, as with the gaited American Saddle Horse, 
most of the demand for this breed is for the show ring. 
For this use at the horse shows, purebred Hackneys are 
desired. 

This breed varies greatly in size from the small pony 
of 12 hands to the 16 hand horse. The body of the 
Hackney is heavy in proportion to the height. With a 
strong, level back, deep chest, and heavy croup and 
quarters, he is a powerfully built horse and exhibits 
a fine quality. 

The Hackney is usually bay, brown, or chestnut. 
When the coloring is accompanied by white stockings 
and a blaze or other marking of white on the face, a 
very attractive appearance is presented in the show 
ring. This horse usually has his tail docked, or cut 
short, and his mane pulled. 

Like the Thoroughbred, the Hackney is of English 
origin. His family tree can be traced back to the Dar- 


34 




The Hackney 




































































































































ley Arabian, although the first noteworthy Hackney of 
modern type was one known as the Schales horse, 
foaled about 1755. Most purebred Hackneys of today 
trace back to him. 

With an extremely high trotting action, and a world 
of personality, this horse gives a flashy exhibition in 
the show ring. There are many types of classes in 
which the Hackney harness ponies and horses appear 
at the horse show. A wide variety of classes for single 
ponies and horses of various heights, for pairs and tan¬ 
dems, for the different sexes, and for novices, or begin¬ 
ners, gives them all a chance to appear at their best. 

Although the Hackney inherits his fine quality and 
gait, skillful training is necessary to develop him for 
the show ring. When exhibited at the horse show, this 
horse shows his high action to best advantage when 
not driven at an excessive speed. High action, that is, 
extreme elevation of the knees and hocks, does not go 
with speed. The Hackney should go at a moderate 
rate—“park pace.” In this way he is not thrown off 
balance and gives a performance more worthy of him¬ 
self and of his trainer. What the true admirers of the 
Hackney want is well-balanced action. 

For brilliance, personality, and flashy appearance, 
the Hackney is not surpassed by any other breed at 
the horse show. 


36 


THE POLICE HORSE 


T HE use of the motor car has made the horse a 
rare sight on the downtown streets of our modern 
cities. Other than those horses used by the mounted 
police, and an occasional one drawing a fruit peddler’s 
wagon, very few are to be seen nowadays. 

Horses selected for police duty are not restricted to 
any particular breed. They may be of the type gener¬ 
ally used by the cavalry, that is, part Thoroughbred, 
or they may be part or pure Standard Bred. 

The chief requirements are that this horse be pa¬ 
tient and good-natured, intelligent, and easy to han¬ 
dle, not given to fits of shying and bolting should a 
scrap of paper chance to blow across his path. Shying 
would be dangerous on a downtown street crowded 
with motor traffic. When the officer guides his mount 
along through the moving cars, the horse must go 
without fear or hesitation. 

Sturdy, and of good size, the police horse is able to 
carry a full-grown man around all day on the paved 



streets. Shoes with rubber are often used to prevent 
slipping on wet pavements, and to protect the animal’s 
hoofs from the hard surface. 

This horse is especially trained for his duties. When 
the officer dismounts, the police horse stands very 
quietly without being tied; he is trusted to remain 
where his master leaves him. Perfectly at ease, and 
yet alert for the signal he is expecting, he does not 
move until he hears that whistle or call. Then this 
cleverly trained animal will walk, slowly and care¬ 
fully, down the crowded street behind the officer. 

The screeching of brakes, the blasts of horns, and 
the clanging of street cars, noises that would give 
many another horse quite a shock, bother him not at 
all. He seems to understand that this is all part of his 
job as a public servant. 


38 








































Popular, and friendly with the children and other 
passers-by, the police horse receives much affectionate 
attention. He will take a lump of sugar from a child, 
barely touching the hand that offers it. When feeding 
a horse in this way, one should hold the hand out per¬ 
fectly flat with the sugar in the palm. 

Being friendly, easy-going, and having gentle man¬ 
ners, the horse used by the mounted policeman is no 
doubt one of the most reliable of riding horses. 






THE WESTERN COW PONY 


T HE early cow pony or range horse of the western 
plains and mountains was the same type of horse 
as that used by the Indians. He, too, was descended 
from the horses first brought to this country by the 
Spaniards in their conquest of Mexico and in later ex¬ 
peditions, and was also known as the Mustang. 

When the Spaniards established their large ranchos 
in California and along the Mexican border, the Mus¬ 
tangs were used as cow ponies. They were hardy, 
sure-footed, little horses, capable of great endurance. 

It was believed at first that the blood horse, or 
horse of Thoroughbred type, had no place in the cow 
camps or on the trails of the Far West. However, this 
idea has been outgrown, and today the range horse is 
usually part Thoroughbred. 

His size, speed, and appearance have been im¬ 
proved, although it would be difficult to breed a har¬ 
dier, gamier horse than the original Mustang. The 
typical range horse commonly used by the cattleman 
of today stands 15 hands or more, and is black, bay, 
brown, chestnut, grey, or pinto in color. 


41 


The range horse is trained especially for his work, 
and is easily handled. He is used for riding herd, for 
roundups, and for general all around work. In riding 
herd, his work consists of keeping the stragglers up 
with the main group, and in preventing cattle from 
straying. A group of these horses, from which those 
to be used in the day’s work are selected, is called a 
remuda. 

In roundups, which are for the purpose of selecting 
stock for shipment and for branding the young calves 
and horses, the cow pony is used to cut out or sepa¬ 
rate the calves or young horses from the herd in order 
to rope them, preparatory to branding. When the cow¬ 
boy gets his rope on a calf, the cow pony, to whose 
saddle pommel the rope is fastened, must keep the 
rope taut while the rider dismounts and approaches 
the calf. 

The untamed or outlaw type of range horse is called 
a bronco or “bronk.” He is merely an unbroken, sav¬ 
age, mean, or untrustworthy type of Mustang. The 
bucking bronco is used in rodeos, where an attempt is 
made to ride him. It takes an expert to stay on one of 
these unbroken horses for any length of time. 

Although the Mustang still has his uses, the part- 
Thoroughbred type of cow pony or range horse is 
pushing him into the background. Great numbers of 
horses are raised in the western states and today these 
are usually part Thoroughbred. 


42 






The Western Cow Pony 
















THE ARABIAN 


F OR centuries the Arabian has been regarded as the 
most aristocratic of all breeds. The Arabs, noted 
for their love of fine horses, treat them with great care 
and affection, making them real members of the family. 

The Arabian is a small horse, averaging from 14 to 
15 hands in height, and has characteristics which set 
him apart from other breeds. He has only five verte¬ 
brae in his back instead of the usual six. The tail, set 
higher than is the case on other breeds, is carried in 
the air when the Arabian is in motion. He has a small, 
finely shaped head and ears, a long, flowing mane, a 
light, arched neck, and is usually higher at the croup 
than at the withers. 

The fact that the Arabian was a desert horse, having 
to subsist on scanty food and little water, sometimes 
on little else than dried camel’s milk, accounts some¬ 
what for his small size. This noble breed, raised with 
abundant food in countries other than Arabia, and in a 
mild climate, is increasing in size without losing its 



many fine qualities. In the limestone and bluegrass 
section of Tennessee are many American-bred Arabi¬ 
ans which are 15 hands or more in height and which 
have all the refinement of their desert-bred ancestors. 

Arabians are noted for their intelligence and cour¬ 
age, endurance, speed, and vitality. In color this 
breed is chestnut, bay, brown, or grey. Pure white 
Arabians are highly prized, but are not numerous. 



THE PALOMINO 

The Palomino is descended from the Arabian, and 
is called the Golden Horse of California. In the Spain 
of Queen Isabella’s time, white Arabians and golden 
Palominos were among the favorite horses of the roy¬ 
alty, so when the Spaniards settled California in the 
early days it was natural that they should bring with 
them these two breeds. 





The Palominos, as well as the Arabians, are used as 
riding horses. They are not great in number, because 
the true Palomino is not an easy horse to breed. He 
must be of a certain shade, not too light and not too 
dark. The perfect Palomino is a golden, honey color, 
lighter than a sorrel, with a cream-colored mane and 
tail. 

The horses of this breed are found mostly in the 
Far West, and are eagerly sought after by circus own¬ 
ers, who prize them for their beautiful color, and their 
intelligence and high spirit. 



THE MORGAN 

The Morgan, like the Standard Bred and the gaited 
Saddle Horse, is a real American breed. 

He is descended from a horse called Justin Morgan, 
named after the man who owned him in New England 
almost 150 years ago. The horse Justin Morgan was a 
small, dark bay animal standing only 14 hands and 


46 



The Palomino 


The Arabian 









































weighing less than 1000 pounds. However, this breed 
today is considerably larger, the average being 15 
hands in height and 1100 pounds in weight. 

The Morgans are black, bay, brown, or chestnut. 
They have smooth lines and a stylish action. With 
their crested necks, small ears, and fine eyes, horses of 
this breed have an attractive appearance. 

The Morgan, being sure-footed, rugged, and willing, 
makes a splendid hill country saddle horse, but is 
noted more for his useful qualities than for his speed. 



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